A Study in Plastic is a piece commissioned by the Polish Radio, for the occasion of 95th birthday of the radio. It almost completely constructed of synthetic sounds (with only one exception), created with instruments based on frequency modulation synthesis (FM). Ryterski wanted his piece to be related with the theme of the concert (radio), at the same being indirect in his approach.

 

FM synthesis is a way of creating sounds by modulating their pitch, or frequency to be precise. This method was very popular in the 80s and then in the first years of 2000 due to Skrillex's music. Most of the sounds created with FM synthesizers are rich in harmonics, with being easy to turn into noisy textures. Ryterski wanted to achieve as much synthetic sounds as possible throughout the process of composition - he wanted the sounds to be artificial and real, like plastic is.